Glacier Peak comeback falls short in loss to University

TACOMA — Glacier Peak made one last run in its 2012-2013 season but couldn’t quite catch the University Titans.

The Grizzlies, who trailed University by 10 points with five minutes to go in the game, got within three in the final minute, but couldn’t overtake the Titans, who defeated Glacier Peak 49-44 Friday in a loser-out game at the 3A state girls basketball tournament in the Tacoma Dome.

“They kind of jumped out in that fourth, they kind of pulled away,” Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hill said. “They had a (big) lead on us and we’re like, ‘Oh, we need a couple big buckets.’ We came down and hit two big threes and we were right back in it.”

After an 8-0 University run to start the fourth quarter, Glacier Peak senior Allie Weathersby made a 3-pointer and Sarah Smith followed it with another — her fourth of the game — to help spark the Grizzlies’ comeback and get Glacier Peak within three points, 47-44, with 49 seconds remaining.

But Glacier Peak struggled to get a shot off against the tough University defense and turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation. Two free throws by the Titans’ Morgan Hawley with eight seconds left all but sealed the win for University.

“Their team stepped up,” Hill said. “They were able get it done. They hit some big buckets.”

Glacier Peak trailed the Titans 29-22 at halftime, but used a 7-0 run to start the third quarter to tie the score. University (15-10 overall) responded with a 6-0 run, thanks to four points from Kayleigh Valley (11 points), and then went scoreless for the final four minutes of the quarter, allowing the Grizzlies’ to post an 11-6 advantage in the period.

Weathersby finished with 19 in her final high school game. Smith scored 12 points and Nicole Fausey added nine points and seven rebounds for the Grizzlies, who finished the season with an 18-8 record and Wesco 3A South title.

“I’m excited because we’re going to get a lot of these kids back, but now they’ve been part of something, and we’ll hopefully be able to keep passing this down from group to group,” Hill said. “… We’re excited. The four seniors are fantastic, and we’ve been kind of fortunate every time we graduate a few girls here and there, the ones right behind them are well-prepared and ready to go.”